The Nats try to pull off a sweep on Sunday Night Baseball from Turner Field.

This scenario may sound a bit familiar: The Nationals have taken the first two games from a division rival in convincing fashion and now have an opportunity to sweep the series in front of a nationally televised audience. Yes, we've seen this one before. Perhaps the outcome will be different this time around, considering the Nats have had nine previous opportunities to sweep a series and have yet to pull it off.

You couldn't ask for a better pitching matchup for Sunday Night Baseball, with Gio Gonzalez (6-1, 1.98) facing Brandon Beachy (5-2, 1.77). According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it's the first time two pitchers with sub-2.00 ERAs and sub-.200 opponents' batting averages and at least 50 innings pitched have met each other since 1985. Wow.

I'll actually be en route from Washington to Miami for the first portion of the game, the only way I could get down there in time for tomorrow afternoon's Memorial Day game against the Marlins. Until then, enjoy the proceedings and the conversation here as always…

Not really thrilled that the Nats have this late game and then have to go to Miami to play a 1 PM game. Was today's game originally scheduled to be a day game, then picked up by ESPN? I guess it is showing that the Nats are an up and coming team…I noticed that ESPN's Sportcenter has had Nat's highlights early in the show (typically right after the NBA highlights). I guess this is what happens when the team is good…lots of prime time exposure…Not a bad tradeoff…

Sorry, folks… But this bug is suddenly in my britches, and I can't figger why they wouldn't be bringing Corey up, toot suite….(condensed postings from earlier): UnkyD said…'Morning, all!! I'm hoping Brown is on his way, to play CF every day, for the next couple of months. If he can hit reasonably well (make that a little better than Nady/Ankiel/Bernadina), what would we think of him getting 2 starts a week, in relief of each of Morse/Harper/Werth, and Lombo doing the same with Espy/Desi/Face? Get the rotation right, and one of those two can lead off, most days, and we'd have one of the regulars available for Hairy Chest Duty, most days, as well as what ever other bench options, for late game double switch situations. It just seems like, absent Browns potential contributions, Rizzo will have …to go shopping, at the deadline, and that could be avoided, if possible…GYFGOGOGOGO!!!!!!!May 27, 2012 11:52 AM UnkyD said…Hi Davey……..May 27, 2012 11:53 AM UnkyD said…I'm… Of course, I was referring to a defensive rotation, post ASB, through the WS…. In case it wasn't obvious….May 27, 2012 12:00 PM UnkyD said…Just think…. Up/down by 1…. 6th/7th inning… You can slip IN one of your starting power bats, when there's 2 on base….. I'm liking this….. UnkyD said…Swift Eagle said…I'd like to see Brown too…but let's remember he's 26 and has had 3 MLB at bats…There's a reason 2 organizations have moved younger players to The Show ahead of him…—————–Yep. That's why I'm thinking "If not now, when?". He'll be 27, next year… He's raking, and if he comes up now, he can play every day, until Werth comes back. Somebody tell me when a better opportunity will come along… Anybody? If he doesn't come up now…we'll never know. We'll stick with the weaky-streaky bench outfielders, and hope their streaks time out efficiently, and next year, he turns into a pumpkin….

Mark- Tell them you want the flight that goes west of Tampa and loops back to Miami. High winds and bands of rain in Northeastern Fl. all day. The storm is due to arrive on the coast in a few hours.Keep that seat belt fastened.

Mark…I'm driving down in the morning for the game. Sitting about 15 rows back of the Nats dugout. Hope to be in the ball park about 11:30. I'm interested to see if the Nats take bp with the quick turnaround but pretty sure they almost have to due to playing in a new venue for the first time.

NatsLady, the boys are coming out of Atlanta, much further west of DC. But you can bet it will be a longer flight than usual on the western coast before heading to Miami. The storm is suppose to stall out when it hits land and provide us with about 6" of rain.

Wow I see Doc Halladay left early due to some sort of soreness issue. I hope he's not seriously injured. He also gave up a slam is the first. Of course, in the back of my mind, I keep hearing Tick Tock…Seems to be getting louder.

I want to see Brown too, bu there has to be a reason the A's and Nats have yet to give him a MLB shot…Have to trust judgement of the decision makers who have actually seen him play. AAA stats can be deceiving, see R. Bernadina…

I know many do not conisder the two game sweep of the Marlins a sweep since game three was rained out. But they won each game of the series that were played so why would that not be a sweep. BTW: Got my tickets today behind home for the doubleheader make up. Section 126.Get them Gio.Also believe JZim is in Florida.

Been out all day so catching up with posts. Safe travels to Mark. Thanks to Michele for the Gio story link earlier. Thanks to sec3 for the NL East games update. That should about cover it.As for tonight: Go, GIO!! Go, NATS!! Hope I can stay awake for the whole thing (riiiiight).

They must be holding Brown out so that he'll be healthy for a call-up in case Tracy needs to go on the DL.I know they pull guys when a trade is brewing, but I'd be surprised if one's going down now, do far ahead of the break.I doubt they'd be sending Moore down until Morse.retuns. The other, more remote possibility is that Bernie's on his way out. Davey noticeably hedged about Roger's role the other day.My gut says the Brown Identity intrigue is tied toTracy's prognosis. Hope we get to see What Brown Can Do For Us.

I know many do not conisder the two game sweep of the Marlins a sweep since game three was rained out. But they won each game of the series that were played so why would that not be a sweep.Because the game was not cancelled, they just haven't played it yet. It is still game 3 of that series on the schedule, they just haven't played it yet. You can't say you won a series if you have won the first two, and haven't played the third game yet.

Soul Possession, My PFB Hitterish Sofa said… Corey Brown and Henry Rodriguez to the As for Manny. What do you think?Me neither. Just passing time. ____________________________After THAT comment…I think you would be passing a joint…

Drew:I doubt they'd be sending Moore down until Morse.retuns. The other, more remote possibility is that Bernie's on his way out. Davey noticeably hedged about Roger's role the other day…………………….That's what I was thinking… Nothing against Bernie-except that he's had plenty of chances (I know…short chances…), and never made it happen. Let's get a look at CB…

If Morse comes back 100%, there's just not a need in the OF. Wonder if they'd look to stretch out Stammen and/or Gorzi to see if they can start later in the year…that would explain the desire for bullpen arms

For you non-Twitterites:Adam Kilgore ‏@AdamKilgoreWPMichael Morse will play one more game in extended spring training than originally planned, likely will hit Potomac on Tuesday now.The White Sox in their series against the Indians scored 35 runs. The Padres vs. the Mets… yeah.

So – double no hitter goes in to the _____ inning tonight? Or another slugfest? I know there are weather issues brewing on the east coast of Florida but I don't know if the Miami airport will be affected. Games are just games – ultimately we want them all to arrive safely. This will be a quick turn around as it is without travel headaches. I guess I am feeling philosophical today, but I love the game and I have gotten a bit intense about winning and losing lately — hoping for a good game and that NO ONE ends up on the DL. Go Nats!

Gardenhire said the Twins are not going to make a trade to keep Komatsu. (Twins cut him to make roster space for a pitcher.) You have to feel that if the worst team in baseball wouldn't keep him on their 25-man, we have a good shot that he clears waivers and we get him back.

I still like the idea of Lombo and Brown leading off 4-5 days a week, after Werth comes back, as b/u- breather guys, if Corey can prove effective in the meantime… And I'll prolly mention it a couple more times… to make sure Davey doesn't miss it, over coffee in Miami, tomorrow morning…;-)

Hot player in AAA. ML club loses back up OF after already losing two OF starters. Said hot player suddenly sits out two games with AAA club. It really sounds like a trade is very possible, if not very probable. I only see the Twins letting go of Denard Span if they got a peepot full of good prospects in return, including a couple of pitchers. That trade wouldn't make a lot of sense to me, as Morse, Werth and Harper leave little room for another bonifide starter in the OF.No, my guess would be somebody has a relief guy that Rizzo wants. Maybe Drew Storen isn't as close to coming back as has been reported?

This note from Kilgore. Hope Bernie didn't catch that Braves flu, and if he did–Don't spread it around the Nats clubhouse!Adam Kilgore ‏@AdamKilgoreWPOne small note for tonight: Roger Bernadina has been feeling under the weather, could possibly affect availability off the bench.

Detwiler just got points from me for this (from Amanda's article):“I’d rather be starting,” he said, only 10 of his 48 career appearances coming out of the bullpen. “But we've got a guy that's year-in, year-out is just winning games. I wasn't getting the job done at the time so, it's still a chance to put on a big league uniform everyday.“The way I look at it, I'm going from the best starting rotation in the big leagues to the best bullpen.”

NCNatsie said …Soul P., so what you're saying (at 5:55) is that if the game is made up, say, as part of a double header in an later series, you can lose it and still sweep THAT series?Yes, it's not a part of that series, even if it is part of that doubleheader. People think time is linear, but it's really a big ball of wibley-wobbley timey-wimey stuff.

Mark, too bad you're missing this one. Good start.As tough as Beachy is against LH, well, not that inning. Lombardozzi bounced to second, and the Braves pitched carefully around Harper–I think they really don't want this kid being the one to beat them–and walked him. Zim struck out, but LaRoche lined a ball hard over Hinske, BamBam to third, and The Burnt Child, Jason Hayward, hustled the throw in to the cutoff man, but to Hinske, the first baseman, on the line to the plate, to hold Harper at third. That allowed LaRoche to get a gratuitious headfirst slide into second with a double. The ESPN booth correctly noted that was the second base Harper got the Nats, most definitely getting the Braves attention.

That could have been a lot worse. Harper tracks down Matt Diaz's fly into the R-C gap to end the inning, but Gio threw a lot of pitches (near 30, I think). Two walks, a run, and an RBI ground ball.1-0 ATL after 1.

Jeezy-peezy, ESPN sucks! They have a pic of Doc Halladay up while Gio's throwing a pitch. My wife thought I'd changed the channel.Nice rip, Kid! Zim, you didn't get robbed on that third strike. It was a good pitch. You made it look like a great pitch.Oh great, a triple by Bourne.

Better lucky than good, I guess. LaRoche gets a leadoff walk. Desmond hits a chopper that Beachy just tips, and Pasternicky maybe got a little too cute, flipping it behind his back from in front of second base to Dan Uggla, who couldn't handle it with LaRoche just coming in. Espinosa walked to load the bases with no outs.Ankiel missed on all three six-run-home-run swings, striking out on a high fastball. But Flores singled LaRoche in, still loaded for Gio. And what do you think? On the first pitch, Gio just misses it, getting a sac fly plenty deep enough to tie the game. He just missed that, too.Lombardozzi lined out softly. Tied up at 2, middle 3.

How awful is Ankiel in high leverage spots. Beachy sets him up with the low then high and Ankiel gets set down once again.When is Ankiel going to change his approach? Can't he see the ball is up at his eyeballs? These aren't at the top of the K Zone.

Beachy is at 100 pitches after 5. If Gio shuts them down in the fifth I suspect they'll bring him out again to see if he can get a quick 6th, otherwise they pull him after the first base runner.This is great — clearly McCatty told Gio "just throw strikes!"

Really nice play by Gio in the fifth, getting off the mound for a pretty good bunt up the third base line by the catcher Boscan. Helps to be a lefty there, but it helped more to have the catcher running. Beachy strikes out for himself to end the fifth.Still 2-2.

NatsLady, I imagine Beachy asked to stay in, and he's earned that, but Fredi probably told him he was coming out if anybody got on. And why burn a pinch hitter from a short bench, half of which seems to have the flu.

Chris Berman has made two or three Montreal references tonight. It's as if he was cryogenically frozen in 2004 and was thawed in time to sit next to Larkin and spout nonsense.I think it was way before 2004.

F&I, Posting that Livo is drug lord is libellous.There are no facts to back that statement up. What is known is that Livo carried this team on his back and busted knee back in the RFK days, and that he is an amazing ballplayer in all respects ( OK, maybe not baserunning, save for bunts.) So, I will root for Livo, except when he pitches against the Nats, and hope he is successful against the rest of the NL East.

Livan walked Ankiel, and Flores singled up the middle for an RBI. With runners on first and third, Gio bunts, but it's the safety-safety, putting runners on second and third with one out for Lombo, who doubled in 2 more, to the corner in right. With one out and one on second, Harper gets his first look at the Bugs Bunny. Now he gets to sit down and think about that.

F&I.. we have all read that, but we prefer to you know, believe in due process and believe in the concept that founded our judicial system – innocent until proven guilty.Honestly, even if he is proven guilty, honestly, I don't care. I really don't.

Steve J, Alexandria said… Livo took the rookie to School and made him look quite the fool.May 27, 2012 10:33 PM ______________________________I would take a K any time if it meant that the next at-bat I would get a HR

Michele — and he richly deserves whatever abuse he gets. Simple elementary school phonetics makes it a short "a".Plus I can't believe every TV and radio announcer doesn't have phonetic pronunciations in their prep materials for every member of oth teams and coaches.Someone who does that in the face of everything to help them is either an idiot or ompletely lazy. My money's on lazy.

MicheleS, can't say for sure about the one on right since he lives in Brewer territory and family is more of a soccer fan but hope that one on the left becomes a Nats fan and is able to play in Nats park someday.

Swift Eagle, I could well be wrong, I'm not sure, but I thought the CBA had rules about not keeping a minor leaguer just hanging around the MLB team, he has to be WITH the team whose roster he's on. It's not illegal, it's contrary to the labor agreement. If I'm right. Which I may not be.

btw that WHAT was for brining in Burnett since I thought it was unnecessary when Stammen is doing the job. Besides to be honest, I would have used HRod in ninth because of low pressure situation and he hasn't pitched in four days.Anyways, we won. Swept Braves. To be fair, they were not at full strength. Then again, neither are we. Onto the Fish now!

Sofa, I thought so too on the CBA, and tried to make sense of the rule. But Kilgore tweeted he was joining the team. So, I'm not sure.I missed that tweet Natslady … thank you. Have to assume a move has already been made (per the CBA) sofa. Which just don't know who was moved? Now the deal with Flores complicates things … especially with Solano just coming off the DL and Sandy Leon still weeks away. I hope folks ask some pointed questions of Davey and Rizzo.

TimDz said… One game…two monkeys off our backs…A legit sweep…A win on National TV..Cost me two beers…at the price of some "HELL YA'S"Soooooo worth it… May 27, 2012 11:26 PM __________________________Yes, and the Nats are missing more starters than the Braves + no Storen!

NatsLady said… 1/2 game ahead of the O's; 1/2 game behind the Rangers; Oh, right…Anyway, nothing shabby about being in first place in the NL East 11 games over .500 on Memorial Day.____________________HELL NO!!!!(once more for my neighbor…)

Nothing on Twitter. Kilgore wrote this in his gamer:Sunday night may have brought yet another health challenge. Jesus Flores went 3 for 4 with two RBI, but he left in the seventh inning with an apparent injury to his midsection. Carlos Maldonado finished the game as the Nationals catcher following Flores’s undisclosed injury.

Pretty sad that there is NOWHERE to find out about what happened to Flores…Imagine that in NY or Bos, or better yet the Redskins, there would be about a zillion reports if the backup punter stubbed a toe…

Gonat, thanks. My radio is out, so I will have to wait until MASN puts up the video to hear Davey. Maybe it's only a few days, but they will have to get another catcher.Solano is on his way to Florida … mebbe on the same flight with Corey Brown from Syracuse?

To give you exact confirmation of what I wrote earlier:Adam Kilgore ‏@AdamKilgoreWP Davey says Flores has a mild hamstring strain. Flores says "minor tightness." Both say not a DL situation. Sigh of relief at first blush.

Pretty sad that there is NOWHERE to find out about what happened to Flores…Imagine that in NY or Bos, or better yet the Redskins, there would be about a zillion reports if the backup punter stubbed a toe …Rizzo (like Shanahan) likes to keep things pretty close to the vest. No one even knew that Jhonatan Solano had a back problem until a couple of days ago! Doug Harris takes Rizzo's desire to keep things close to the vest very seriously.

NatsLady said… Gonat, thanks. My radio is out, so I will have to wait until MASN puts up the video to hear Davey. Maybe it's only a few days, but they will have to get another catcher. May 27, 2012 11:46 PM _____________________________You are welcome. I don't think there will be any MASN video as I don't think they were there. Probably covering the 1st Place Orioles (insert anger). I had a friend text me immediately from Davey's Press Conference but maybe it was a side conversation. Not sure why it took Kilgore and Amanda so long to Tweet it out.

This is a nightmare at C.How many MLB teams have not one but two top notch young #1 catchers and have them both injured, and the first back up called up too?By the way, has anyone seen anything about Sandy Leon's condition? Haven't read anything since the "maybe four weeks?" right after he was hurt, then radio silence.

Grandstander @ 11:30 –No comparison between Moore's role here and Brown.Moore is a first baseman without a position, who was brought up to replace DeRosa but with the smallest experience even in MiLB in the OF. no fault of Moore's — it's that he didn't really bring what the opening was.Brown has been an OF, and especially a CF, his whole MiLB career. And he'd be replacing a continuing liability at CF.

Flores of course wasn scheduled to pitch tomorrow, though I know you meant catch.He walked off pretty good, so I thought it was precaution. But loved when harper laughed when he saw McCatty with noth nostrels plugged.

What I find so exciting about this team is all of the young talent throughout the organization — and we're about to get another infusion from June 4-6.Anyone who thinks the Nats won't help themselves now that they're picking 16th isn't familiar with the story line. The Nats have shown a remarkable ability to spot, sign and develop ballplayears that others miss:2006 — Brad Peacock, 41st round, pick 1,2312008 — Tom Milone, 10th round, pick 301 Tyler Moore, 16th round, pick 481 Steve Lombardozzi, 19th round, pick 5712009 — Danny Rosenbaum, 22nd round, pick 652The other day Kilgore mentioned that the Nats are excited about Hagerstown outfielder Billy Burns, a speedster drafted out of Mercer in Atlanta. The Nats got Burns in the 32nd round, with pick 967 of the 2011 draft.In 41 games at Hagerstown Burns has 26 walks, 19 steals, a .300 batting average and an on base percentage of .427.So this team, already a joy to its fans, has some enviable problems:– If the Nats keep LaRoche and Morse for 2013 and Espinosa and Desmond remain powerful middle infielders, where will Lombo get his at bats? Will he become the Nats' Zobrist?– If and when Rendon is healthy and ascends through the minors, how will the Nats get his lightning bat in the lineup? This probably gets clearer after 2013, when LaRoche or Morse is gone.– If LaRoche stays next year and the outfield is Morse, Harper, Werth, what becomes of Downtown Corey Brown? Maybe he's the new, improved Rick Ankiel.– With Zim, Rendon and Lombo in the house and Marrero often injured, does Matt Skole become the first baseman in waiting — or is that Ryan?The belabored point here is that another draft is upon us. The Nats' system — and the plot — are about to get even richer.

NatsTalk Live guy reported that Davey said Flores had mild hamstring strain. Maldonado would play tomorrow but he expects Flores to be ready for the game on Tuesday. Hope that's right and hamstring didn't tighten up overnight.

I sure will be glad when Mr. Zuckerman gets back on track. I've been wearing a curly W hat for over 7 years now, mostly ignored by others until recently. Now everywhere I go people want to talk Nats baseball with me. Winning does that. We are slowly gaining momentum in the respect of the public paying attention. In addition to the FOF RZimm, the likes of SS,Gio, and of course the Kid, are becoming the talk of the town. Even outside of area people are beginning to notice us even if they're not yet taking us seriously. Starting last fall I wasn't concedeing that we were "still a year or two away." in 2012. Question DJ's decisions all you want, it's a gawd given American right to second guess your baseball manager, but the day Davey took over I knew that the Nationals were going to be in contention this year. Has he made mistakes? Yeah, him and every other MLB manager has, but he has instilled a "We Win Now!" mentality throughout the entire organization. Combine that with the job that Mike Rizzo has done and we are a huge perfect storm forming. Call it Tropical Storm Nat until the playoffs, then it will gather momentum and become Hurricane Nat.Just another Joe Seamhead editorial

Haven't read the comments yet, but did watch the whole game. Well, most of it. I may have nodded off a time or two in the late innings. Anyway, some random synapse firing follows.So glad that I'm not a Sox or Yankees fan because then I'd have to watch that ESPN booth about every week. Yech. All of those promos and breakaways for in-game updates on other teams. Plus the inane commentary on the actual, you know, game that is taking place. When they were actually paying attention to the game. Which didn't seem to be all that often. Well, they *were* pretty attentive when the HP ump had his chimes rung. Even did a replay on that one. And analyzed the play. Great work, ESPN! Not. At least the Nats broke the losing-on-national- tv curse. Wait. Does that mean that they'll be on national tv even more? Yech. My husband went to bed as Livo was about to enter the game. Said he didn't know how to act: Yay, Livo! Wait, he's pitching against us. Boo! No, wait. I like Livo. Eh, I'm going to bed. Talk amongst yourselves. Hope Flores is okay. Saw that he's "day-to-day" with a mild hammy strain? I said some bad words when it happened. Of course, I didn't actually *see* it happen. Because the cameras were on the ESPN crew, who was discussing something other than, you know, the actual game. Possibly it was baseball-related, though. Yech.Nice to get the sweep, in addition to the series. So far, so good on the dreaded NL/AL East phase. (5-1 on the road, right?) Will be interested to see how the New Nats play the Marlins, who seem to have always owned them. I'll be glued to the tv. Well, not literally glued, but sitting in front of it. I may even stay awake for the whole game. But no promises.Go, Z'nn!! Go, NATS!!

Drew,Great post. I think a lot of the questions you pose depend on how well Morse performs when he gets back. He was phenomenal as an everyday player for the first time last year. Can he do it again? If so, I think his best position on the team is first base as he is a natural infielder and not so great in Left Field. If Rendon ascends through the system quickly, he'll probably play 2b until Zim decides he no longer wants to play 3rd. As per Espinosa and Lombardosi–my patience with Danny is getting thin. I know Davey sees great potential in him and he plays the game right with excellent defense and hustling, but he just has HUGE holes in his swing and he doesn't seem to be able to make adjustments. Lombardosi, on the other hand, has made excellent adjustments and has really come through with some clutch hits. As someone close to Lombardosi has said (I can't reveal whom), Steve can hit a pitcher's pitch with two strikes. Danny only gets a hit if a pitcher makes a mistake. I thought that summed it up pretty well. Also, Lombardosi does project to develop some power, so it wouldn't be a complete loss of power if he took over 2b. Another option is to platoon them. Danny is just awful from the Left. Wht not use Lombo against righties and Espi against Lefties? Such optimism here in Natopia. We're very lucky. Let's enjoy the ride for the next decade!

At the end of the 2011 regular season Joe Seamhead said:As far as next year for us? I'm so high on the Rizzo-Johnson Kool-ade that I have to keep my expectations under control, but honestly? I think that the Washington Nationals are going to win the NL East next year.September 29, 2011 9:53 AM ————————————————————–My thoughts haven't changed one bit. 5/28/2012

Completely missed everything last night but slowly catching up on the dvr and here, of course – lots and lots of stuff to read, but it's helping me find the spots I want on the recording! Gio just seemed to have flipped a switch after the first inning. You guys must have been seriously worried after he threw so many pitches. He is a smart fielder and hitter, too with the sac fly and bunt. Thanks a million times Mr. Rizzo. Harper makes quick adjustments, doesn't he? I don't think you can fool him with the same thing twice. Nice to see the boys taking pitches, hitting with 2 strikes and 2 outs. Praying about Flo, though – catcher jinx for sure. Again with Rizzo – the depth in this organization is just crazy and that's what is keeping things going. One goes down – another steps in. Would love to see it stop now. If anyone hears news of Morse at Potomac, please post – I'll go and post from the game if he plays tomorrow night. At this point they may send him straight to Miami.Go JZINN – hope the run support keeps up.

I noticed that, too. OTOH, I like FP but he persists in pronouncing Adam's name as "LaRoach."Steady Eddie said… Michele — and he richly deserves whatever abuse he gets. Simple elementary school phonetics makes it a short "a". Plus I can't believe every TV and radio announcer doesn't have phonetic pronunciations in their prep materials for every member of oth teams and coaches. Someone who does that in the face of everything to help them is either an idiot or ompletely lazy. My money's on lazy. May 27, 2012 10:57 PM

natsfan1a–don't get me wrong, I love the job Carp and FP do on MASN, but I enjoyed getting a different perspective from Tito and Orel last night. Those two guys are simply the best color analyst in baseball in my opinion. They were great players and great coaches and nobody out there knows the game better. Period. Now they may not know the Nats as well as we do–we watch every game! But they do know baseball. I loved how Tito analyzed Harper's swing. it was priceless. And Orel, an ex-pitching coach by the way, did a great job analyzing Gio. It's just nice to get an impartial, different perspective once in a while. Although we are lucky to have Carp and FP–they really do an excellent job and know their stuff for the most part.

BTW,regarding Corey Brown, if he officially gets called up, I don't expect him to be any kind of a second coming, but I do sincerely feel that he will be,if given a chance to play, an improvement for an already very good team.

tough matchups are coming up against Marlins for us. Zambrano (2 hits last time), Sanchez (who historically owns us), and JJ (who seems to be regaining form). Then again our offense has been hot lately.Today's lineup will most likely have Ank and Harper in CF and RF resp. Hoping to see Brown start in LF.ESPN guys were OK. Mainly what I don't like is them talking about other non-baseball stuff and some of their facts that needs checking. They are clearly new at covering non-Yanks/non-Bos teams so I get that.highlight of the night was Harper vs Livo.

I think it's all subjective and that we'll have to agree to disagree on the ESPN broadcast, D'Gourds. I strongly dislike in-game break-ins that supplant video of the action, whether it's a sideline reporter or an ESPN booth resident. I don't disagree that those guys know the game, but much of the time, they aren't even talking about the game. I repeat, yech. On a related note, no disrespect to him but, while Tito certainly knows the game, I'm not sure that even he would agree with you on the "great player" part of the equation. On the broadcast front, there are plenty of color commentators who have been at it much longer than he has and have the "chops," as it were (imho). As for Harper, they seemed quite surprised that he didn't act like a jerk, which seems to be the national media party line. Whatever, dudes. To each his own, but these guys are definitely not my cup of tea. (Did I already say "yech"? :-))In other news, some morning reading from a Braves blog. This caption from a related photo seems to sum things up nicely: "Kerwin Danley, tonight's home plate umpire, took a fastball from Brandon Beachy to his nether-regions. The Braves can commiserate with the feeling."

Nats are now 11 games above .500 and 37 total days in 1st place. It's all great but still not even close to Nats records set in 2005.Nats were 19 games above .500 on July 5th and held 1st place for 53 days in 2005.This is 2 totally different teams except for RZim. The 2005 team lacked depth. This Nats team has filled in holes well.

Thanks, Steve M. I may be rubbing it in a bit today to my esteemed colleague on the Nats beat who had the misfortune of attending Syracuse. Pretty remarkable what kind of program they've built at Northwestern, seven NCAA titles in eight years. And the program didn't even exist when I graduated 14 years ago!

Hey you guys! We get Mark back today, don't we? That means more JFlo news. And good tweets.NatsJack, I expect you'll be there too, today, yes?1a, you made me snort my Diet Coke when I read the quote about poor Kerwin.

Ghost Of Steve M. said… More 2005 trivia, on this evening in 2005, the Nats were 24-25 and then the Nats went on a 15-2 run. May 28, 2012 9:42 AM ___________________________One similarity to 2005 is how good and balanced the entire NL East is this year. In 2005, no NL East teams finished below .500

You'd think a Northwestern championship deserved a tweet from an alum who just happens to be a sportswriter. (I am pretty sure Kilgore tweeted when Syracuse made it to the Final Four of the Solo Red-Cup Stacking tourney.)

I just saw the Brewers/DBacks hilights and low-lights.The low-light is provided by Nyjer Morgan. With bases loaded and 1 out, Nyjer hits a grounder to shortstop with the infield drawn in and the shortstop went home for out #2 and the catcher then threw Nyjer out at 1st for the inning ending doubleplay. Nyjer basically jogged to 1st looking behind him at the play at the plate. The announcers bashed him including the fact that Nyjer has NO RBIs this year!

How can a guy like Rick Ankiel be super clutch but not clutch? Last night in the 4th inning, Ankiel struck out with bases loaded and no outs.Ankiel is now only 2 for 14 (.143) with RISP and less than 2 outs but is an amazing 6 for 15 (.400) with RISP with 2 outs.Ank has struck out in 6 of his 14 ABs with RISP and less than 2 outs.Ankiel is batting .231 overall in high leverage situations. My theory is that Ankiel gets amped up in the obvious RBI situations and relaxes more when there are 2 outs in the same situations.

Ghost Of Steve M. said… How can a guy like Rick Ankiel be super clutch but not clutch? Last night in the 4th inning, Ankiel struck out with bases loaded and no outs.Ankiel is now only 2 for 14 (.143) with RISP and less than 2 outs but is an amazing 6 for 15 (.400) with RISP with 2 outs.Ank has struck out in 6 of his 14 ABs with RISP and less than 2 outs.Ankiel is batting .231 overall in high leverage situations. My theory is that Ankiel gets amped up in the obvious RBI situations and relaxes more when there are 2 outs in the same situations. May 28, 2012 10:25 AM _________________________________It certainly seemed like Ankiel sometimes comes through and its nice to see what the stats look like. Good theory. Just wish he could ONCE lay off of that high heat.

Ghost, have you looked at matchups? was he facing a righty in all those at bats? my understanding is that he is a weaker hitter against lefties. anyways, either way that's two few at bats to say anything concrete.

Funny quote from Nyjer "It's about ME" Morgan on his getting caught running slowly to first while he looked back at home plate: "I thought Rick [Weeks, the runner at third] was going to blast him, to tell you the truth. I was looking back to see some action, got caught up looking at the play and that cost me a little bit of speed there."Yes Nyjer, you would really make a good spectator. I am so, so glad you are no longer a National.

ehay2k, thanks for picking that quote. The guy is a clown. It was a force at home! Why would Weeks blast him? Catcher steps on plate and throws to 1st.Nyjer's faithful in Milwaukee are slowly turning on him. Reminds me of what happened on here. I don't think it will turn out well for Nyjer in Milwaukee.

Niger, Manny, Dukes,100 plus losses, etc the culture of LOSERS is gone, the curse is over!!!The only thing from the past I would love to see/hear would be 25 to 6 to 4 Chicago as the Nats theme song on MASN as it was in 1968 on WTOP for the Senators. lol

Speaking of Nyjer, his tradee to the Nats Cutter Dykstra is doing well, sort of. I'm reading through the Nats MiLB stats and see Cutter Dykstra had a big day in A ball. The strange thing is that Dykstra was demoted. He is now playing in Hagerstown Low A as he ended the season last year in Potomac High A.

Finally caught up on last night's game. Didn't know what you were talking about re; the ump – watched it again – yikes. He is a champion for staying in that game. Any Flo news? He has played an awful lot recently after only playing a time or two a week. He also ran the bases last night a lot — his legs may just need a break. Maldonado is a big guy, no? Nats must be pretty tired today, although I am figuring that the trip was not long and they were in a good mood. Who will surprise me today? Or, rather, why does anything surprise me at this point? Go Nats! Go ZNN!

swami… I bet Nats play good today, where the fatigue catches up will be on Tuesday, I look for a tough game on Tuesday, maybe Wang can carry them? Bryce Harper as the opportunity to do what Ovechkin has failed to do so far In DC and that is become an icon like Jordan in Chicago.this is exciting for all DC and well deserved

mick, right. The adrenalin is probably still pumping. You know I am a big CMW fan, want to see him do great tomorrown and Det for about 3-4 innings in GOOD relief. Roof will be closed so Det should not get too tired.In the meantime, let's get some of those runs for JZ!Changing my pic for today. Remember those in uniform, living and dead.

God Bless you Nats lady. I just spoke with my Uncle a few days ago who is 89 and going strong, he fought and was wounded in Italy. I can not even imagine a young 19 year old today facing what the greatest generation faced back then

Chase was apparently distracted enough to think Jesus scored a run on that play…by jogging into 2nd? Actually liking that he took himself out there… Didn't look hurt, and I'll bet he could have toughed it out…and possibly wound up on the DL… Good on ya, JFlo!!

saw a lot of the returning kids at the capital reception last nite – after the rainout. the only reason it doesn't completely break your heart is that they've got the best attitudes in the crowd. the humility before the praise they get (and deserve) and love for each other – and country – is breathtaking to see. they're a pretty great generation themselves.anybody in a position to hire someone? call walter reed

Gonat, I would say because of defense–unfamiliar park. Yes, it's unfamiliar to Ank, but he has a better chance. Another righty tomorrow (Anibal Sanchez) gives Corey Brown opportunity to shag a few flies and see how it plays.

Just got in from Memphis and wow The Energizer Thread is still going…Drew @ 1:27–great post. Great problems to have. Love Rendon but fear injuries throughout his career. Let Rendon force his way into the lineup with a couple seasons injury free before trading valuable pieces, like Espi and Lombo, already in the fold. Seamhead @ 8:09 have always loved Rizzo–especially when he deepened the scouting dept and brought Davey aboard. Now they remind me of Beathard and Gibbs. But seem to get along better. Nats ability to keep plugging in talent when holes open up is noteworthy. And, agreed, looking for more of the same in 2012 draft.Mick @ 11:04–love the reference to Ovechkin. I always post late so don't often get into the back and forth of the threads, unfortunately, but I've said at least twice–and this applies to Joe Seamhead too–hey–let's steal this WS THIS year while we're still young and naive. Before we put too much pressure on ourselves. It does indeed appear to be a perfect storm forming. But it is a marathon…Would also like to end by saying what a cool group this is commenting night in and night out. Insightful, witty, prescient, thorough. For all the inches of copy, there are not many I gloss over. In this sense, this thread is its own perfect storm. Thanks MarkZ! PFB…GYFNGoGo